Contenders are invited to compete in three heats over six months for one of 20 spots in the semi-finals which will take place in Amsterdam on May 6, 2013 and 12 spots at the Grand Final, also held in Amsterdam, on May 7, 2013. The contest, which has the widest reach of all major global bartending competitions, went live on December 1, 2012.

Participating bartenders drawn from 60 countries from all corners of the globe will be asked to create a cocktail recipe using Bols Genever, Bols liqueurs, or both, for a chance to win a trip around the world to four cocktail cities of his or her choice over eight days. The overall winner will also be awarded a Platinum Bols Ambassadorship, including two all-expenses-paid trips to Amsterdam for intensive training.

Twenty finalists will receive a one-year Gold Bols Ambassadorship, including a trip to Amsterdam for intensive Bols Ambassador training and an honorary contract to represent Bols in their own home country across a range of seminars, trade shows and courses. Together with the winner, they will be profiled on the competition’s global website and receive a Bols Around the World National Champion Trophy and a Limited Edition Bols Barrel Aged Genever, signed by Lucas Bols master distiller, Piet Leijenhorst.

To make it to the final, bartenders will be tested on the key attributes of a world-class bartender. In 2012, Gabor Onufer from Hungary was crowned Bols Bartending World Champion from a field of 1,600 bartenders for his The Merchant cocktail and Pass the Dutchie food pairing recipe.

One spot in the finals will be reserved for a member of the Young Talent Program, a unique programme that gives bartenders aged 18-21 (depending on country’s legal drinking age) the chance to compete with the world’s best bartenders. To help them reach this level of expertise, they will receive coaching from the Bols Bartending Academy throughout the competition. Four young talents will then compete in Amsterdam against each other, and only the best will make it through to the Grand Final to compete against the 11 other finalists.

Sandie van Doorne, Lucas Bols creative and communications director comments: “Now in its seventh year and running across 60 countries, Bols Around the World is the widest reaching bartending contest in the world and this year’s Grand Final is set to be more spectacular than ever.”

“The competition celebrates the best in bartending technique and reflects the values taught at the Bols Bartending Academy, from drink knowledge and mixology to hospitality, speed and efficiency. Contestants receive training from the Bols Bartending Academy throughout the competition to foster the innovation and excellence that Lucas Bols stands for.”

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Professor Cocktail

David J. Montgomery (aka Professor Cocktail) is a writer and critic specializing in books, publishing, spirits, and cocktails. He is an emeritus columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and The Daily Beast, and has also written for USA Today, the Washington Post, and other fine publications. A former professor of History, he lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and two daughters... Read more